Crowe and Kidman to Unite in Aussie Film – by: Jason Hahn

After a failed attempt at collaborating on “Eucalyptus,” Russell Crowe and Nicole Kidman are looking to team with “Moulin Rouge” director Baz Luhrmann. All three are Australian.

Crowe and Kidman have signed on to star in what is being called an epic Australian Outback film set in the years up to and including World War II. The film, codenamed “Project Oklahoma,” will begin in the 1930s and stretch to the 1942 Japanese bombing of the tropical city of Darwin.

“We’ve talked a bout it for over seven years, that we must do something together in Australia.” Luhrmann said to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Kidman said that she was looking forward to making a “uniquely Australian story” with Crowe, who she calls her “good friend.”

Luhrmann compared the film to “Gone with the Wind” and “Lawrence of Arabia.” “Collateral” screenwriter Stuart Beattie will work with Luhrmann on the script for the film.

Kidman has had a working history with Luhrmann, who directed the three minute, multimillion-dollar Chanel No. 5 commercial in which Kidman starred.

The rumored budget for the film is said to be about $40 million in Australian currency, which is equivalent to about $30 million in U.S. dollars. Filming is set to begin in August, and the film is projected to be released in 2007.

About The Author Jason Hahn http://www.topmovienews.com

Avoid Search Engine Blacklisting – by: Kevin Kantola

The best way to avoid being blacklisted by the search engines is to avoid using some questionable techniques that were once popular to gain high rankings. Even if your website is not blacklisted by using some of the techniques below, it may be penalized (buried in the rankings) so your traffic will suffer all the same. When a search engine blacklists a website it will throw your listing off their site and block your site from coming aboard again. This can be done by blocking the domain name, the IP address or both.

Here are a few techniques to avoid, so that your site will not be blacklisted:

Mirror Websites

Mirror websites are sites with identical content but different URL’s. This was once a method used to gain high rankings in the search engines, but since search engines are smarter now, this will only get you penalized or blacklisted.

Doorway (gateway) Pages

Doorway pages are pages with little real content for your visitors that are optimized to rank highly within the search engines. These pages are designed so that visitors will move deeper into the website where the real content lies. Navigation to the doorway pages are usually hidden from the visitors (but not the SE robots) on the homepage.

Invisible Text and Graphics

Using invisible text (text the same or a very similar color to the background) was once used to spam a homepage and some inside pages with non-stop keywords and keyphrases. Also links to doorway pages and hidden site maps can be done with invisible text (or invisible graphics). Some designers will create a graphic link with a 1 pixel by 1 pixel raster image and link this to a hidden inner page such as a hidden site map.

Submitting Pages Too Often

Submitting the same pages to the search engines within a 24 hour period can get you penalized and may delay your website from being listed in the rankings. Some search engines believe that pages submitted sooner than every 30 days is too much. The 30 day rule is a good rule to follow when submitting to multiple search engines.

Using Irrelevant Keywords

Using irrelevant keywords in a website’s metatags and / or body copy in order to achieve high rankings will most certainly backfire. Search engines now want to see parity between these two areas and if your site is thought to be spamming with irrelevant keywords, you site will be penalized or blacklisted.

Automated Submissions to the Major Search Engines

Using an automated service or software to submit your website to the search engines can be extremely counterproductive. Most of the major search engines and directories accept manual submissions but do not like to be spammed with the automated ones.

Cloaking

Cloaking is the practice of deceiving both the search engine and the visitor by serving up different pages for each. The visitor sees a nicely designed and formatted page and the search engine robot scans a page of highly optimized text. Any practice that is deceptive should be avoided and the downfall of cloaking is that, if caught, the website can be banned permanently.

Using a Cheap or Free Web Host

Using a cheap or free web host can hurt in the search engine rankings. Frequent downtime, pages taken down for exceeding the bandwidth deter robots from indexing your site. If a robot cannot access your site often enough, your site will be dropped from the search engines. Hosting is cheap, so if you are serious about your website get your own domain name and host not one like geocities.com/yoursite.

Sharing an IP Address

Sharing an IP Address even from a legitimate web host can get your site in trouble. If you have cleaned up your website from all of the techniques mentioned above and your website still does not get relisted by the search engines in a couple of months, check with your host to see if you are sharing an IP address with other sites. If so, you may consider moving your website to a new host who will give you your own IP address or at least one that is not shared with another company who has had their IP address (an yours) banned by the search engines.

FAST’s Director of Business Development and Marketing, Stephen Baker, has stated that globally there are approximately 30 million crawl-able servers and approximately two-thirds have been banned by the FAST network for spamming. If these numbers are correct, you site may be blacklisted or penalize for “guilt by association.”

http://www.seoresource.net

About The Author Kevin Kantola is the CEO of seoresource.net, a search engine optimization company, and has published many articles over the past 20 years. Copyright © 2004 SEO Resource

Dating Mistakes Females Make – by: Jill Dellamalva

?I used to have a friend named Amy. If I needed anything – whether it was advice or a pink shirt to match my new pants – Amy was there for me. We went on shopping trips to New York City and Philadelphia at least once a month, gossiping about people we knew while we drove. We had “Girl’s Night Out” dinners at our favorite Mexican restaurant, and many giddy times after a few too many margaritas. Every weekend we went to the local bars and clubs hoping to meet “Mr. Right”. Even if we didn’t meet him, we always had a good time dancing.

I had dated quite a few guys, but no one seriously in the three years Amy and I were friends. Going out with Amy was fun, and something I could count on to keep the boredom of single life away. She became like a sister to me. Then something happened.

I got a boyfriend.

Suddenly, “Girls Night Out” turned into “Do You Mind If We Meet Up With Matt While We’re Out Night?” You see, my new boyfriend and I wanted to get to know each other more, as expected. However, in the delirious excitement of having this new person in my life, I committed one of the worst dating sins a female can commit: I let my friendship with my best girlfriend slip.

At first it wasn’t very noticeable to me. I still chatted on email and spoke on the phone with Amy almost every day. But the truth is that when she asked me to go out, I first considered if there was a chance I’d be doing something with Matt that night. As my relationship with Matt grew over the months, going out with Amy to bars and clubs became a bit boring – I wasn’t looking for “Mr. Right” anymore. To top it off, my “Mr. Right” was not very happy at the prospect of me going to bars and clubs without him. “Clubs are dens of sin!” he half-joked one day, when I mentioned how often I used to go. “They only exist because people go there to hook up with each other.” So I stopped going to my dens of sin.

The last time I saw Amy was on the weekend after my 27th birthday. As a gift, she had bought me a ticket to go with her on a bus trip to shop in New York City. Just like old times, I thought as I stepped off the bus into the springtime New York sun. I had to hold that thought, though, because my cell phone began ringing. It was Matt, making his usual morning call. This time he asked if I got there safely and told me to have a fun day. I didn’t think much of it until I looked over at Amy’s disgusted frown.

“Can’t you even go one day without talking to him?” she fumed. “This is OUR trip, it’s a Girl’s Day. Why does he need to call?”

Equally annoyed, I told her that I liked when he called, that it made me feel he cared and thought of me. It was the truth – I enjoyed the fact that he thought to call when he woke up every morning. But looking back on it now, I realize Amy wasn’t angry that he’d called. She was angry that I appreciated how much he cared about me, while ignoring the fact that she, too, cared for me. For months she’d been asking me to go out, calling me, writing me email, and now taking me on a trip for my birthday. But I had not shown her any appreciation for being a good friend.

Amy and I haven’t spoken much after that trip.

As the months passed and my relationship with Matt became more and more familiar, I started to notice something interesting. During our relationship, he had not given up any of his friends or hobbies that he had before we knew each other. He still played basketball every Sunday morning with his friends. He met his friends for dinner and drinks when I was busy and couldn’t make it. He made it a point to find time for them, even if it meant saying no to making plans with me once in a while.

Slowly but surely, I thought back about how I had given up things to spend time with him. And from time to time, I threw those things in his face to make him feel guilty if he wasn’t going to take me out on a Saturday night. “I could be at my den of sin,” I’d yell at him, “but now I don’t have a friend to go there with. Have fun tonight with Jim and Mike. I’ll just be here reading a book.”

Ironically, the less Amy was in my life, the more fights I had with Matt. Why, there was no one to call and vent to about my problems with him or with life in general. So who heard all of my complaints? He did. And like guys do, he tried to tell me how I should solve all of my dilemmas, which annoyed me to no end. A female, like Amy, would have just listened to me and consoled me while I had my personal pity party.

As much as I wanted to place the blame on Matt for the fact that I gave up so many things I used to enjoy, the truth is that all the blame lies on me. No one made me give anything up. I volunteered it to chase the fairy tale relationship that depicts man and woman alone, together against the world. I overlooked the friends beside, behind, and in front of man and woman, protecting them, helping them, and loving them.

Amy, check your email… an old friend is sending you an article she wrote.

About The Author Jill Dellamalva writes for SinglesDating247.com – If you are single and looking for love then this is the site for you. Articles, Reviews and Links to the best sites on the Internet and the DrDating Forum – a forum for people looking for help in love, relationships and dating. admin@internetdating247.com

Have You Completed A Character Questionnaire? – by: Nick Vernon

Creative Writing Tips –

Complete a character questionnaire for each of your main characters or even secondary characters that play a vital role in your story. This way you will know your character(s) well before you start writing about them.

Fill in as much information about them as possible. Don’t only answer what you will need in your story. The objective here is to get to know your character till he becomes a ‘live’ person in your mind.

So let’s begin…

1. In a few sentences write down a summary of the plot

2. Character’s personal details
   1. First name
   2. Surname
   3. Age

3. In a few sentences write down the character’s back story (a bit about his background)

4. The role of the character in your story
   1. What are character’s goals?
   2. What are character’s motivations?
   3. What is the character’s conflict?
   4. How will the conflict stop the character from reaching his goal?
   5. What is he going to do to overcome the conflict?
   6. What problems will crop up during the story?
   7. How will those problems get worse?
   8. What will the character do to overcome those problems?
   9. How will he resolve the conflict?
   10. How will your character’s background influence how he behaves in your story?
   11. What is the relationship with other characters, if any, in your story?

5. Physical Descriptions
   1. Height
   2. Eye colour
   3. Hair colour
   4. Hairstyle
   5. Hair length
   6. Complexion
   7. Shape of face
   8. Body type
   9. Weight

6. How does his expression change when…
   1. He’s with a loved one
   2. He’s with someone he dislikes
   3. He’s with his boss
   4. He’s with a colleague

7. Personality
   1. Type? (shy, outgoing, insecure, dominant etc)
   2. Distinguishable traits?
   3. Mental scars? (Complexes etc)
   4. Ambitions?
   5. Sense of humour?
   6. Fears?
   7. Anxieties?
   8. Phobias?
   9. Overall personality?
   10. How does his personality change when he’s experiencing different emotions?
   11. How does he act when he feels confident?
   12. How does he act when he feels inadequate?
   13. What gestures does he use when he talks and thinks?
   14. How does he walk? With confidence? Does he slouch or stride?
   15. What mannerisms does he have? (Does he fold his arms? Does he flick his hair?)
   16. How does he speak? (Clearly, mumble, confidently, drawl etc.)
   17. His voice? (Rich, loud, soft, etc)
   18. His vocabulary? (Casual, formal, illiterate etc)
   19. What does he think when he’s alone?
   20. Does he have any secrets he hasn’t disclosed to anyone?
   21. His prejudices?
   22. Dominant motives?
   23. Values most?
   24. Desires most?
   25. How does he treat those around him? (children, superiors, etc)
   26. Any vices or virtues?

8. Likes and dislikes
   1. Favourite colour, food, etc
   2. Favourite music?
   3. Taste in clothing?
   4. Does character like something in particular?
   5. Does character dislike something in particular?

9. Lifestyle
   1. Where does the character live (country, city)?
   2. Does character live in a house, apartment etc
   3. Does character like where he lives?
   4. Does where he lives reflect what kind of person he is?
   5. Does he have a favourite room? (Or a piece of furniture or other object etc)
   6. Does he have a car? What type? Does the car reflect the person he is?
   7. Any hobbies? Personal habits (neat, sloppy etc)

10. Background
    1. Parents names
    2. Parents occupations
    3. Describe relationship with parents
    4. Any siblings?
    5. Describe relationship with siblings
    6. What kind of childhood did the character have?
    7. What kind of adolescence did the character have?
    8. What kind of schooling did character undergo? (Private or public? Has this shaped who he is?)
    9. What was the highest-level achieved in school?
    10. Citizenship/Ethnic Origin?
    11. In which country does he currently live?
    12. If the country he lives in is not where he was born, why does he live there?

11. Character’s current position
    1. Any friends?
    2. Any enemies?
    3. Acquaintances?
    4. Has character been married before?
    5. Has the character been engaged before?
    6. Any children?
    7. Most meaningful experience?
    8. Any disappointments?
    9. What is the character’s goal in life?
    10. Attitude towards the opposite sex?
    11. Attitude towards life?

12. Employment
    1. What kind of job does character currently have?
    2. What kind of jobs has the character had previously?
    3. Is character content in current employment?
    4. If not, what would be their dream job?

13. What do you feel for this character?
    1. Admire
    2. Love
    3. Hate
    4. Dislike
    5. Like
    6. Pity
    7. Envy

Whatever you feel for this character, your emotions must be strong. If they are not, either build on this further or begin building another character altogether.

About The Author Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers’ funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com

Too Much to Do? Too Little Time? – by: Aurelia Williams

Have you ever felt like someone just pressed the Fast-forward button on your day and before you know it the day is over and you are sitting there wondering what you’ve accomplished?

I love to organize and with working Part Time outside of the home and FULL-TIME at home with my business, 4 children and Husband I really rely on a schedule and many time management tips to keep my sanity (ok, so some of you think I am already insane, I won’t argue with that) but at least I am organized

Here are a few of my favorite Time management Tips:

1. Meal Planning: Try planning 1 – 2 weeks worth of meals at a time and write them down on a calendar. Do your shopping accordingly and prep tomorrows dinner today. You will be AMAZED at what a time saver this is.

2. To-Do Lists: I know most people HATE them but they actually do work. Just take a few moments out of your day (either in the morning or in the evening) to make a list for that day or the following day. Be sure to only put down the items that you MUST finish on this list.

3. Delegate: Do you have friends, a husband, children that can pitch in and do a few things for you? If so, be sure to use all of your resources.

4. Morning Rush: Scooting the children out of the door can be a huge time eater! Be sure to prepare lunches, lay out clothes and plan your breakfast the night before. This will make your mornings run a tad smoother.

5. Just say “NO”!: Such a small word that carries a might punch! If you truly can’t fit something into your schedule and it is not urgent, just say No!. Keep a list of non-urgent things that you can do on hand for when you do have some down time.

Well, those are just a few of my time management tips. I personally set aside about 15 minutes a night and sit down with my Palm Pilot and make a short TO-DO list for the following day and it is amazing at the time this save.

Also be mindful of your own body. Are you a morning, afternoon or night person? Try to schedule your most time consuming tasks when you have the most energy.

Take Care!

About The Author Aurelia Williams is the mom of 4 busy children, a Personal Life Coach and the owner of Real Life Solutions, which is an informational site that also offers products, low cost advertings and a great newsletter. You can visit her site here: www.reallifesolutions.net wah_momma@yahoo.com

Why Can’t Microsoft Make “Soft” Packaging? – by: Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE

Why is it that Microsoft wants you to buy its product but does not want you to open the plastic case that is welded around the cardboard box? I believe that such packaging along with cockroaches will survive atomic disasters!

Good luck finding any clue as to an easy way to open this fused bit of skin-tearing packaging. I split my scissors trying to pry open the ends. I ripped a fingernail attempting to wiggle into a miniscule space. I wedged in a letter opener to see if I could leverage any kind of muscle and rip that sucker open. I seriously thought of using a chain saw.

Finally, in a fit of anger akin to the Hulk, I seized one small, dagger-like split in the plastic, held the plastic casing with the other hand and yanked with all my might. I cut my hand extricating the box from the opening I’d created.

And what does this hidebound, 81/2″ x 11″ x 2″ box contain: a CD! I trembled thinking it too would be wrapped in that plastic that yields to neither man nor woman.

Thankfully, the innocuous little CD was without wrapper. Good thing. My scream would have reverberated in the hallowed halls of Bill Gate’s Washington mansion. It’s pain enough to upgrade software without going through the physical machinations of opening a #$%^& box.

Moral of the story: The customer’s experience is everything. Don’t let packaging ruin their day.

(c) 2003 by Eileen McDargh. All rights reserved

Reprint rights granted to all venues so long as the article and by-line are used intact.

About The Author Eileen McDargh is an author, radio commentator, organizational development consultant, professional speaker and retreat facilitator. Author of four books including Work for a Living & Still be Free to Live and The Resilient Spirit and a frequent contributor to numerous business journals. Visit her web site http://www.eileenmcdargh.com or contact her toll free at 877-477-4718.

Want Healthy Glowing Skin? – by: Kenia Morales

Are you struggling with skin problems like acne, eczema, psoriasis etc.? Various factors such as toxins, vitamin, mineral, protein deficiencies, long-term exposure to sun light, dehydration etc. might be the cause of your skins unhealthy state. Would you like to have beautiful glowing skin again? Luckily there are several options that can help you restore your skins healthy glow.

Stay hydrated- drink 8-12 glasses of water a day.

Avoid direct sun light- by wearing protective clothing, staying on the shade and applying sunscreen daily.

Avoid or limit your toxins intake this includes alcohol, coffee, spicy food, drugs, limit sugar intake etc.

Get rid off dead skin cells; exfoliate regularly at least once a week.

Maintain a cleansing routine- remove makeup daily (do not wash more than two times a day), and get a facial every 7-10 days.

Exercise regularly, to reduce stress and brings more oxygen to your skin resulting in firmer and nourished skin.

Maintain a healthy diet, eat foods rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin B this include fruits, vegetables, fish, liver. Take supplements if necessary.

About The Author Kenia Morales is the publisher of online magazine http://kpatra.com “For Every Aspect of Today’s Woman. Visit her site to find a variety of women related issues and topics”. keniamorales@kpatra.com

Success with Strength Training – by: Jesse Cannone

Strength training is the most effective way to turn your body into a fat burning machine and stay in great shape! It is the most productive form of exercise there is! In order to be successful with strength training there are some basic principles that must be followed if you want to receive the many benefits which strength training has to offer! The three most critical factors are progressive overload, intensity, and recovery.

Progressive overload simply means that you must force your muscles to work harder each time. That means you can’t use the same weight every workout, regardless of how many sets or reps you do. The best way to do this is by attempting to increase the resistance / weight used and, or increase the number of repetitions performed at each workout.

Intensity is also very important. You must force your body to increase its strength. For example, if you typically do 3 sets of 10 reps on the leg press at 115 pounds, and your legs are capable of doing 16 reps, why is your body going to make any improvements? Your body will only add muscle if you force it to work at a higher level than it is used to. The most effective way to overload your muscles is to perform one or two sets per exercise, and continue each set to muscular failure. That means continuing each set until no more repetitions are possible. Challenge yourself!

Once you have overloaded the target muscle group you must then allow for proper recovery and over compensation. This means you must rest long enough to allow for recovery of the targeted muscle group, the nervous system, refill glycogen stores (Energy stored within your muscles), and also allow enough time for the muscles to make improvements or increases. This process takes time. Generally, it takes between 2-7 days to recover from a strength workout! The harder you work the longer it takes your body to repair. Don’t short-circuit your progress by strength training too often!

Basic Guidelines for Successful Strength Training

• Strength train no more than three times per week!

• Perform 1-2 sets per exercise!

• Choose 1-2 exercises for small muscle groups and 2-3 for large muscle groups. (ex. 2-3 exercises for legs, back, chest, and 1-2 for arms, shoulders, etc.)

• Choose no more than 8-10 exercises and work hard on them! . Always keep a record of all workouts! . Take each set to failure or fatigue!

• Perform each exercise SLOWL V! Force the muscle to do the work — NOT momentum!

• As soon as you see a slow down in progress it’s time to make a change to your program!

Below are some sample workouts and frequently asked questions regarding strength training.

Full-body Workout 1-2 x per week (approx. 30-40 mins.)
Lat pull-down 2 sets Chest press 2 sets Leg press 2 sets
Lateral raise 1 set Bicep curl 1 set
Triceps pushdown 1 set Leg curl 1 set
Leg extension 1 set

Upper / Lower Split
2-3 x per week (approx. 25-40 mins)

A. Upper
Seated row 2 sets
Shoulder press 2 sets
Lat pull-down 1 set
Pectoral fly 1 set
Lateral raise 1 set
Bicep curl 1 set
Triceps pushdown 1 set

B. Lower
Leg curl 2 sets
Glute machine 1 set
Leg press 2 sets
Leg extension 1 set

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How do I lose the flab on the back of my arm or my spare tire?

A. It is physically impossible to only lose fat in one area. What you can do is decrease body fat by burning more calories than you consume. Increase muscle tissue with strength training and burn more calories all day long, even while you are sleeping!

Q. How often should I strength train if my goal is to burn fat?

A. 2-3 times per week would be great! You will build muscle tissue, which burns calories 24 hours a day, and you will decrease the chance for excess calories to be stored as fat!

Q. What if I don’t want to bulk up? I just want to tone.

A. If it were that easy to bulk or get big nearly every guy in the gym would be huge] Women generally don’t have the genetic potential to build large muscles due to hormonal differences. Plus, don’t forget that adding muscle tissue to your body is a good thing! It makes everything you do much easier, reduces the chance for injury, and increases your metabolism!

Q. How many sets and repetitions should I do?

A. This will vary depending upon your goal. If you are training to increase strength, due fewer sets but higher intensity (1-2 sets to failure per exercise). If training for muscle size, perform multiple sets (2-4 sets, but only 1 to failure). The number of repetitions will vary also depending upon the speed at which you move the weight and your goals. In general, shoot for 8-12 reps.

Q. What are the benefits of strength training?

A. Strength training, if done correctly, can make some major changes to your body and mind! Here are just a few:

1. Increased metabolism
2. Increased strength and flexibility
3. Increased muscle tone
4. Reduced stress levels

For more information on how you can maximize the benefits of strength training, please call me at 240-731-3724 or e-mail jesse@achieve-fitness.com

About The Author Jesse Cannone is a certified personal trainer, nutritionist, and best-selling fitness author. Sign up to receive his free email course, Muscle Building Tips which is full of powerful tips and techniques for maximizing strength and size. http://www.seriousstrengthtraining.com support@seriousstrengthtraining.com

Score BIG With The Search Engines – Maximising Your Site’s Potential – by: Steve Ashton

I often get asked, “How do I improve my site’s performance in the search engine’s.” or “I have a small budget, how can I compete with the larger sites.” It can seem daunting when you type in your key search term and you see Google returning 200,000 results! Over the course of this article I am going to teach you some techniques that you can use to improve your sites ranking in the major search engines. These are not in any particular order but you should try and cover all of these if you want to perform well.

Good content with your keywords

Most people use the internet to gather information, so accordingly, the search engines put a premium on good content. If you want the search engines to really start appreciating your site, you need to have lots of good, and more importantly, fresh content. Update your site regularly with new articles, news stories etc. Then make sure you promote this new content. Submit these articles to other websites with a teaser that then links back to your website. If you can get “authority” sites to link to your articles this will raise your sites profile in the eyes of the search engine.

Clean up your code

This is one step that is often over looked but it is more important that many people realize. The neater your html code is, the easier it is for the spiders to crawl through your site and therefore, the more willing they are to search for your links and crawl through those pages as well. The more pages you have indexed, the more chances you have of attracting someone to your site.

How do I go about cleaning up my code I hear you ask? There are some simple things you can do to quickly improve the readability of your code.

Put all JavaScript code in a separate .js file and include it in the header of your page.

<script language=”JavaScript” src=”/scripts/javascript_code.js”></script>

Use .css style sheets for all formatting and as much of the page layout as possible. This step alone will half the amount of code in your pages. Most of the code in an html document is table alignment code. If you are not yet familiar then you can find some good tutorials here.

Optimize for your keywords

Site down with a sheet of paper and write down a list of 20 keyword phrases that define what your site is about. These will be the phrases that you will want your visitors to be searching for to get to your site. Once you have your list then try and integrate as many of these phrases into your website copy as possible. Make sure however that the readability of a site’s content is not compromised as this will often be seen as spam. Try and use these keywords in your title’s and in the first couple of paragraphs as this is the part of the page the search engine will pay the most attention to.

Unique titles for all your pages

Search engines pay a lot of attention to the content in a page’s title and this should describe exactly what the page is about. As mentioned above, try and include your keywords in the page title and then give the page a heading title that matches or is very similar to the page title and include it in a <H1></H1>. If you don’t like the appearance of the text within a H1 you can format the text style within your css document.

External Links

All the major search engines place a high premium on this and therefore so should you! Actively seek good links from websites in the same interest area as your site. The more important the site the better as search engines will place a higher value for a link from an “authority” site than from for a link from a less popular site. Make sure that in your link text you include your keywords rather than just the name of your site. For example, if your site is about sauce pans, put “Buy Sauce Pans” instead of “www.saucepanheaven.com“.

Create search engine friendly url’s

This can have a huge effect on the number of pages of your site that will be indexed. A lot of search engines steer away from indexing pages that have a lot of parameters. We’ve all seen them. www.somesite.com/article.php?id=32&category=2 and such things. Some search engines will stop when they see a ? and therefore it won’t be able to see all the content in the site.

One way around this problem is through a method called mod_rewrite. I am not going to cover mod_rewrite in this article as it is too large a topic to cover within the scope of this article but a lot of articles can be found that teach you how do this. To summarise, it is a server side tool that converts the above url to something like www.somesite.com/article/32/2. This page can now be indexed along with every other article in the site. I would highly recommend looking into this as in my experience it has given me the best return.

Conclusion

If you follow these steps you’ll quickly start to see your website popularity grow. Sometimes you have to go through trial and error, especially when choosing keywords but the effort you put in will be returned as the search engines start to pick up on your improvements and start directing more traffic to you. We’ll be covering a lot of these topics in much greater detail in the coming articles so be sure to check back for more valuable advice.

About The Author Steve Ashton is programmer and web developer. He runs 2 popular websites http://www.webdevshed.com and http://www.programmertutorials.com.

Criminal Stars – by: Derek Belay

Thievery is alive and well in Hollywood. The glamorization of crime invariably tickles the curiosity of the public. Criminals have been portrayed as exciting, daring and cunning tantamount to hero status. They are the risk takers who should not be completely judged upon their criminal expression but rather looked at as individuals with some merit. They are cast sympathetically as their relationships are examined and ultimately lend credence to the justification, in their minds, of the criminal choices they have made. But worst of all, they are often shown as being ‘cool’, even as they hurdle towards the death of their freedom.

Take, for example, the jewelry or art thief. Movies like the Italian Job, the Score and Ocean’s Eleven display criminals as generally model citizens, other than when they are committing crimes. There may be such criminals but are they so suave in their real lives? Are they seemingly morally upright in their relationships with others? Are they really just good guys who happen to commit crimes? In real life the majority of criminals are not suave, cool or sympathetic figures. They are cutthroat, ruthless and to a degree, sociopathic. Mob figures are the best example of the paradox between the glamorization of criminal life and reality of criminal behavior.

All agree that the Soprano’s, a show about mob life in New Jersey, is a great show. The production value is high, the actors are skilled and the plot lines are well conceived. People get whacked, money gets laundered and criminals get promoted for good work. Yet, in order for the audience to tune in every week they must connect with the characters. Hence, the boss of the family, Tony Soprano is shown as a father, a husband and as attempting to improve his relationships with the outside world by visiting a therapist. This is a ploy to create sympathy for a ruthless murdering crime boss. And it works, as the Sopranos is a hit. What then are the real criminals doing?

True mob figures don’t give a damn about the outside world. Their loyalty lies with their crime families. They lie, cheat and murder for riches and would stomp on the average person, literally, to further their gains. A true jewelry thief is usually a two bit criminal who robs the local family owned jewelry store, as can be verified by FBI criminal statistics. Real criminal life is fraught with betrayal, pain and stints in prison. Most criminals are caught at some point with over 13 million arrests made in the US in 2005 alone, according to the FBI.

The business side of Hollywood is reactionary in nature. The glamorization of criminal life is partly in response to a demand by the public. Interest in stylized underworld figures comes from a public perhaps bored with their average daily existence. The idea that there are people who survive in a world where they ignore the law, fascinates us. But when the glamour is shaken off, and the dust clears, there is only an empty fancy suit left, where a thief once stood.

Find more into at http://www.jewelrypayless.com.

About The Author Derek Belay holds a BA in English Literature from Cal State Pomona. He writes part time primarily as a hobby. He currently works for http://www.jewelrypayless.com as a marketing manager. derek@jewelrypayless.com